1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color matching apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for color matching under a different illuminant for affecting color correction such that a reproduced color will appear to be the same when the reproduced color is observed under a different illuminant, by color-transforming differences in the appearance of the color reproduced by a color output device, i.e., a color reproducing device, due to the effect of an illuminating illuminant during observation into color separation values corresponding to the illuminating illuminant during observation, when colorimetric values are transformed into color separation values dependent on the difference in a mechanism of the color output device and chemical and optical properties of a colorant.
2. Description of the Related Art
With respect to colors of conventional printed matter and the like, it has been the general concept of color matching to evaluate the color under a standard illuminant or the like which serves as a reference, such as D50 or D65 prescribed by CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage), and to reproduce an accurate color under that illuminant. For this reason, there has not been much need to effect color matching under an observational illuminant other than the standard illuminant. Consequently, practically no existing techniques have been developed concerning methods and apparatuses for color matching under such different illuminants.
However, color-printed matter has come to be used for various uses due to the development in recent years of desktop publishing (DTP) and simplified color printers, and lighting conditions for observing the printed matter have also become varied. For this reason, apart from the mere requirement that the color matches under a predetermined illuminant such as a standard illuminant, there has arisen a need to accurately reproduce the color under an arbitrary illuminant.